Polymer Clay Canes for Beginners

27 videos, step by step, beginner cane workshop beginner Cane Tutorial What people are saying about this tutorial. jennifer rose Just finished this first workshop on how to make canes, and I must say I learned so much. This is exactly what I have been looking for, someone who could explain cane making in a step by step that process that I could replicate. I watched the videos, went into my studio and began to create all of the canes Alice showed. I finally have results I can be proud of, and I say thank you so much for doing this workshop. My only question now is when do we get more workshops. If you are only going to take one online class let it be this workshop. Thank you Alice for your hard work, and your dedication to helping others learn the joys of polymer clay.

Online Workshops with Alice Stroppel

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Another Stand Up

Still playing with Stand Ups. 

Stand UP Girl 2

Stand Ups – Polymer Clay Characters

Polymer Clay figures

 

Okay, I’ve been working on an idea using white polymer clay and alcohol inks in both liquid and marker form. I wanted them to be free standing and collectable. Tallest one, the guy, is about 4 1/2″ tall. The small singing head is about 2 1/4″ high and has a removable, exchangeable saying bubble.,

 

The girl was the first one I made and I wanted the white face with black wash and color for the hair and clothes. Polymer clay girl

I think the black wash was a bit too much, so I made this guy and didn’t use as much black, I like it better. Looks more like ceramic or stone.

The dots in the background are from a new technique design block by Sculpey.

Polymer clay guy

Both of the larger figures are made with scrap clay, (yes I do have real scrap clay that looks like mud, some scraps are  just not Stroppel Cane material hehe) covered with white Premo. But even I will run out of muddy scraps at some point, so I made a smaller one made entirely from new white clay. Needless to say I’ve ordered more white clay.

Happy Birthday figureI thought how much fun it would be to be able to use these as little greetings. Happy Birthday, Mother’s Day, etc, etc. I even make it so that you can remove the saying and replace it with another. (no it’s not my birthday). How about crazy funny off the wall humor?

This one I decided to try a little bit of color on her face, and it’s okay, but I like the other finish better, for a signature “look”.

I’m still playing and wondering if it would make a good class. I think most of the people that took my Sun class at Fandango made some great faces and I know these faces would be just as successful.  I’m having a blast and my head is full of all kinds of new ideas with these stand alone, Stand Up, characters.

More later.

 

Almost Like Paperdolls – Polymer Clay Doll

I know I said I wasn’t going to post today, but I wanted to say Happy 4th of July to everyone here in America. It’s a grand day for our country so celebrate and enjoy.

Plus…….I finished this girl last night and wanted to share.

A polymer doll

When I was little my sister had a set of paperdolls that she drew herself. She created a girl and a guy and the girl had the most wonderful clothes. I loved the way they looked and wanted so badly to be able to draw just like my big sister. The paperdolls aren’t around anymore, I wish they were I’d love to look at them again.

When I made this girl I was reminded of my wish to be able to draw my own paperdolls, somehow I feel like that little girl wish from years ago kind of came true. The difference is her clothes are made from polymer clay and can’t be removed. Still having fun here and fulfilling dreams.

More Girls and Bracelets

 pen and ink, polymer clayI decided to do a couple more girls on bracelets yesterday. This picture shows each side of one bracelet and on the right side of the picture, all of the side put together to show what it might look like if it were a flat drawing.

I just received an package in the mail containing a large set of markers and couldn’t wait to try them out. In fact, I’ll be doing more experimenting today.

I’ve always been the kind of person that has to have every color of……well…..whatever I’m interested in at the time. I own every color of embroidery floss from years ago, every color of premo, every color of crayon (just because I love the smell) and I’m sure I’ve thrown away more supplies because I bought every color and then didn’t use them before they dried up.

But I’m not a clothes horse, I don’t have a million pair of shoes, but I probably have a million different kinds of supplies. They make me happy, they make me feel like I could at anytime create something wonderful because I have everything I could ever need to create anything. Okay, that’s not really true, I don’t have ALL the supplies in the world, but I’m working on it.

pen and ink polymer clayThese bracelets are really fun to wear because from the front, when it’s on your wrist, a person can’t really tell what it is. It just looks like an interesting, colorful bracelet. But then they say something about it and you show them the whole drawing, they are amazed. It’s pretty cool actually.

Then when you tell them it’s polymer clay, pen and ink, they want to know more. Mostly they say they can’t draw and could never do it. It’s really not true, everyone can draw something even it it’s just shapes and trust me shapes can be very interesting. But these girls are very basic line drawings.

Anyway, this is the face for the second bracelet. They will both be for sale in my Etsy Shop by the end of the day. Thanks for checking in.

Pen and ink and polymer clay

Faces and Shapes – Polymer Clay and Ink

When I came home from Woman Creative – Art and Jewelry Design Center just outside Atlanta, I came loaded down with rubber stamp shapes from Barbara McGuire’s collection. I started playing around with them and because I am so involved with my pen and ink technique I decided to marry the two elements. I, as always have created something I think if incredibly fun and a bit off beat, but I’m diggin’ ’em.

I have tons of old jewelry and buttons and well just stuff (cool stuff mind you) that I’ve be gathering over the years and have decided to continue to use those bits and pieces to accent my work. I’ve added a cool button to the top of the face pendant above.

Face Shape pen and ink and polymer clay alice stroppel

The pen technique is the one I demonstrate in my video for sale in my Etsy Shop and the shapes are rubber stamps from Barbara McGuire’s collection. The ways you can use the pen and ink technique are endless. Use some of these ideas of mine or dream up some of your own. The sky is the limit and the only thing keeping you from floating away is you thinking you can’t fly.

Okay, okay, you can’t REALLY fly, but you can feel that way sometimes if you lose yourself in your creativity. Stop judging yourself and you will be more than surprised at what you can create. I’m talking to myself as much as to you, I produce things I’m proud of when I make them for the joy of it, not for the dollars I might gain.

Learning to let them go to someone else is the next big stumbling block for me, but I’m doing much better at that too. I can’t wear, look at or hang all the things I make, so I find it much easier to let them go than I did in the beginning.

full figure

I’ve also been playing around with whole shapes. I like this girl and really wanted to keep her, but I’m putting her in my Etsy shop. I have ideas for oh so many more. Here I am again, too many ideas and not enough time. Oh well, there’s always tomorrow. Maybe I’ll see you then too.

A Modern Day Alice in Wonderland


I was working on some Alice in Wonderland prototype pieces for a client and was incorporating black and white checks. I had this piece left over and as is my M.O. I couldn’t let it go to waste and made this funky hat for one of my girls.

So I call her Alice, maybe in wonderland, maybe just what I feel I look like sometimes. I’ve mounted her on a piece of black foam core and framed her. She is actually quite large, about 4″ x 7″.

Up she’ll go on my wall, and after I look at her awhile, I’ll decide if I want to sell her. I’ve been thinking of doing a family series. Framed portrait of woman like Alice that you could claim as you sister or Mother or great Aunt…well Great Aunt Alice.

A collection! That’s it! lol I am having way too much fun….I think my samples are cured, back to play, er……… I mean work.

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If you’re looking for my OWOH giveaway it’s here

Raggedy Ann From Christmas Past

My kids are way grown and gone and I don’t decorate like I use to. I have a smaller tree and don’t have all the “things” sitting around everywhere.

One year about 6 or 7 years ago, I bought a bunch of large plastic “under the bed” boxes and separated all my Christmas things. I made different boxes of Santas, Angels, etc.  I gave the boys all their ornaments and still I have hundreds and hundreds. I know, I know, “what was I thinking”.

But the happy thing is, each year I just get out a couple of boxes and that’s it. No fuss no muss. It really has worked out so well and each year I get to look at something different.

This year, I decided to get out a couple of boxes that I haven’t had out in awhile, boxes full of some of the oldest things I have. Mostly kiddie things, teddy bears and all the ornaments that the boys made. It was great fun and I know the kids will love looking at them this year.

There were also tons of things I’d made as well, some that really should never have been made in the first place…yikes, and some things that brought a smile to my face. Like this Raggedy Ann made with polymer clay.

Raggedy Ann - 1980 Something

Raggedy Ann - 1980 Something - Polymer Clay

In 1980 something, I found polymer clay. I was dying to try it out, so one Christmas as I was decorating the tree I was hanging a Raggedy Ann and Andy  from 1975 made by Hallmark. I wanted to try my hand at something in polymer so I picked Raggedy Ann.

I had made so many things out of dough art with the kids and this was a step up for sure. All the dough figures are long gone but Ann is still here.

Here’s a picture of the Hallmark Raggedy Ann, she was a great model wasn’t she?  The Hallmark Raggedy is in another box that I take out more often because Ann and Andy are favorite ornaments of mine, they were some of the first that I bought when the boys were little, actually my oldest wasn’t born yet. So They really take me back to a magical wonderful time.

Hallmark Raggedy Ann - 1975

Hallmark Raggedy Ann - 1975

Thanks for taking the walk in the past with me, I sure enjoyed it.

Catbleu

Catblu

Catbleu

Just for fun, this little guy was fun and easy. Canes and shapes combined to make this 3D figure. I think I’m going to attach a loop in the top of his head so he can be an ornament, hang from a rearview mirror, become a fan pull or whatever comes to mind.

Balancing Act – A Polymer Clay Figure

Balancing Act

Balancing Act

This week-end, I continued to stick to my resolve to begin (and complete, hopefully) projects that I have been thinking of for what seems like forever. This project is actually at least 7 years in my head. This is figure #1 in a series of 8.

Balancing Act Here’s a shot without the experimental background, that’s another story. But this story begins in 2003 when I was director of the Highlands Art League. We were having a children’s furniture painting class one summer and I was in a thrift shop looking for inexpensive chairs and I found these beveled glass light shades.

There were 8 of them and only $1.00 each and I couldn’t walk away. We were restoring 3 old houses from the 1920s and I thought maybe we could use them somewhere.  I also saw bases for figures in my head. Mixed media art dolls if you will. Maybe a class when I had time?

I bought them and donated them to the cause.

I left the art league for a couple of years around 2004 and didn’t return until 2006. While cleaning and sorting, I came across them in a box on a shelf. A volunteer said, “We have no idea what they are or what to do with them.” I laughed and decided nothing was ever going to happen with them there, so a took them home with me a create  those figures in my head.

Her nose is kind of big and there’s a reason. It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sculpting and on the second baking, I covered her with tin foil again, but not well enough and her nose got very, very brown.

I had to cut off her nose to spite her face and build a new one. It ended up a tad bit bigger and not quite as nice, but I save her I happy to say.

Then next baking I remembered to cover her nose with polyfil after first heat setting with my heat gun.

I’m still playing around with what will be inside the beveled glass, but I just wanted to get her picture up and start another one. Practice, practice, practice.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Gary Brickel’s “Tatuna Fish”

Tatuna Fish - Gary Brickel

Tatuna Fish - Gary Brickel

Just wanted to share what was making me laugh today. I bought this so funny girl by Gary Brickel at The Creative Native Gallery yesterday. Pam Moody, the gallery owner told me that Gary’s wife made her from polymer clay and he painted his signature artwork as tatoos.

Her name, Tatuna Fish says it all. Just the name made me laugh.

I took pictures of the gallery, but none of them turned out as well as the ones you can see on The Creative Native Gallery website. So I decided to share the grin with you guys.

So now my strange sculptures have company. There she sits with her painted toenails and smiles at all my girls. Too funny.

It was a wonderful evening full of fabulous art, artists, and artistically created cupcakes. And I came home with a giggle. Life is good.